1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a netted refillable container for containing a powdery cosmetic material and, more particularly, a netted refillable container for preventing solidification of the contained powdery cosmetic material, and also for preventing spillage of the powdery cosmetic material when not in use.
2. Description of Prior Art
Powdery cosmetic materials, e.g., foundations, white powder, or the like are typically contained in a dish-shaped refillable container having an opening formed at the top of the refillable container covered with a netting. This refillable container serves as a cosmetic compact case with an outer container attached with an openable lid. The netting prevents the contained powdery cosmetic material from scattering, and also helps provide the suitable amount of powdery cosmetic material when a cosmetic tool, e.g., powder puff is rubbed against the meshes of the netting.
In respect of the refillable container, since the powdery container material is pressed toward the bottom surface by a net or a cosmetic tool whenever in use, the powdery container material gradually solidifies and becomes difficult for the powdery container material to stick suitably as well as uniformly to a cosmetic tool, e.g., powder puff when in use. Therefore raising a problem in which the disposal of the refillable container and the powdery cosmetic material becomes unavoidable even if there still is powdery cosmetic material remaining inside the refillable container.
To solve the above problem, a refillable container has been proposed in which the container body of the refillable container of a flexible synthetic resin material is molded with a projection either on the outer surface of the bottom panel of the container body or on the inner surface of the bottom panel of the outer container containing the container body. With the thus structured refillable container, when the container body is moved toward the bottom panel of the outer container due to force created when a cosmetic tool is pressed against the netting provided at the upper portion of the container body, one of the provided projections makes contact to the opposing surface and restricts movement of the container body, thereby deforming the container body and the side panel of the container body which correspond to the periphery of the projections. According to the above deformation, the contained powdery cosmetic material is fluidized which helps prevent the solidification of the powdery cosmetic material and also enables the refillable container to be thoroughly used without much waste.
With such a conventional refillable container, the container body deforms either where the projection provided on the bottom panel of the container body of the refillable container makes contact to the bottom panel of the outer container or where the projection provided on the outer container makes contact to the bottom panel of the container body. That is, in respect of the bottom panel of the container body, the portion corresponding to the projection maintains flatness, while the bottom panel surrounding the projection deforms. Therefore, the contained powdery cosmetic material is fluidized mainly by the deformation of the side panel rather than the entire deformation of bottom panel of the container body. Nevertheless, to make the container body effectively increase the fluidization of the contained powdery cosmetic material, it is preferable to widen the area of deformation in respect of the bottom panel.
Te refillable container thus structured is shown in FIG. 15. This refillable container 51 is used in a state in which the refillable container 51 is contained inside a cosmetic compact case 54 having a lid 54a and a housing 54b. This refillable container 51 is comprised of a container body 52 for containing a powdery cosmetic material 55 and a net frame 53 made up of an engagement loop 53a covered by a sheet-like netting 53b. The container body 52 is a shallow dish-shaped container molded from a flexible synthetic resin, and has a gentle tapered peripheral sidewall 52b in between a bottom portion 52a and an opening rim 52c. 
The engagement loop 53a of the net frame 53 is an annular body having the diameter substantially equal to that of the opening rim 52c of the container body 52. The sidewall of the engagement loop 53a extends along the surface of the opening rim 52c and is fitted into the opening rim 52c of container body 52. When the engagement loop 53a is injection molded, the netting 53b is insert-molded and secured to the engagement loop 53a as a united body, and at the same time, the top surface of the netting 53b becomes the equal level as the top surface of the engagement loop 53a. Accordingly, the annular attachment component 53c comprised of the engagement loop 53a and the netting 53b is made into a flat state having no level difference.
The above cosmetic compact case 54 containing the netted refillable container 51 is assembled having a lid 54a and a housing 54b. That is, both the lid 54a and the housing 54b have a hinge 54c on one end and an engagement projection 54d on the other. By rotatably connecting the lid 54a to the housing 54b through the use of the hinge member 54c and by enabling the engagement projections 54d to attach to and detach from each other, the cosmetic compact case 54 can be closed and maintain a closed state and can be used in an open state as well.
An engagement ring 54e is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 54b of the cosmetic compact case 54 and by the engaging of the engagement ring 54e to an engagement projection 53d formed on the outer peripheral surface of the engagement loop 53a attached to the upper portion of the container body 52 of the refillable container 51, the refillable container 51 is attached to the cosmetic compact case 54. There is an elastic packing 56 attached to the inner surface of a lid 54a of the cosmetic compact case 54, and the packing 56 fits tightly to the netting 53b enabling the prevention of spillage of the powdery cosmetic material 55 when the lid 54a is closed.
With thus conventional refillable container, when the lid of the cosmetic compact case is closed and engaged to the housing, the packing pressing against the entire surface of the netting ensures a hermetic state. However, in order to guarantee the hermetic state, it is required for the opening rim of the container body and the engagement loop of the net frame to maintain a molding precision to a certain standard. Therefore, where the components above suffer from bending or deformation and are unable to obtain their intended molding precision, it causes the deterioration of the hermetic state
If the only objective was to intensify the hermetic state, it can be accomplished by protuberating the outer peripheral portion in a ring-like shape higher than the netting at the top surface of the engagement loop of the net frame and by making the outer peripheral portion press against the packing. Furthermore, by forming such projection, it would become unnecessary to maintain a high molding precision. Nevertheless, with this structure, a space will be created between the netting and the packing, which would result to the problem of accumulation of the powdery cosmetic material in the space, for example, due to vibration caused when the cosmetic compact case is carried.
Furthermore, when the netting is insert-molded to the engagement loop, the netting could hardly maintain a sufficiently stretched out state where exerted with a tension perpendicular to the netting, and a slight looseness of the netting would often be created. When such looseness is created, a space may form between the packing and the netting, and would raise a problem of accumulation of the powdery cosmetic material in this space.
It is an object of this invention to provide a netted refillable container which prevents solidification of powdery cosmetic materials by widely deforming the bottom panel of the container body, and also prevents the spillage of powdery cosmetic materials without requiring a high molding precision.
It is another object of this invention to provide a netted refillable container which prevents solidification of powdery cosmetic materials by widely deforming the bottom panel of the container body, and also prevents the spillage of powdery cosmetic materials without requiring a high molding precision.
The foregoing object is accomplished with a netted refillable container including a container body molded from a flexible synthetic resin material for containing a powdery cosmetic material having a substantially flat bottom panel, a side panel extending upright from the bottom panel, the side panel curving outward or inward, an opening surrounded by the side panel, a ring molded as a united body from a rigid synthetic resin surrounding the opening bearing a convex rib on the top end of the ring, a net frame having a netting insert-molded to the inner surface of an annular frame body, the netting covering the opening of the container body and engaging the convex rib, the annular frame body engaging to the container body, wherein the netting is pushed upward by the convex rib to a position higher than the top surface of the net frame when the net frame is fitted to the container body, and when the container body is contained in a recess of an outer container having the recess of a prescribed depth and a projection on the bottom panel, the bottom panel of the container body faces the projection, and when a lid bearing a packing facing the convex rib of the container body is closed, the convex rib of the container body presses against the packing through the netting of the net frame, and the lid is openably and closably attached to the outer container.
The foregoing objective can also be accomplished with a netted refillable container including a container body molded from a flexible synthetic resin material for containing a powdery cosmetic material having, a bottom panel having a substantially flat inner surface and an outer surface provided with a projection at a prescribed position, a side panel extending upright from the bottom panel, the side panel curving outward or inward, an opening surrounded by the side panel, a ring molded as a united body from a rigid synthetic resin surrounding the opening bearing a convex rib on the top end of the ring, a net frame having a netting insert-molded to the inner surface of an annular frame body, the netting covering the opening of the container body and engaging the convex rib, the annular frame body engaging to the container body, wherein the netting is pushed upward by the convex rib to a position higher than the top surface of the net frame when the net frame is fitted to the container body, and when the container body is contained in a recess of an outer container having the recess of a prescribed depth and a bottom panel, the projection provided at the outer surface of the bottom panel of the container body faces the bottom panel of an outer container, and when a lid bearing a packing facing the convex rib of the container body is closed, the convex rib of the container body presses against the packing through the netting of the net frame, and the lid is openably and closably attached to the outer container.
In another aspect of the invention for solving the above problem, a netted refillable container comprising a container body molded from a flexible synthetic resin material for containing a powdery cosmetic material having a bottom panel having a corrugated cross-section, a side panel extending upright from the bottom panel, the side panel curving outward or inward, an opening surrounded by the side panel, a ring molded as a united body from a rigid synthetic resin surrounding the opening bearing a convex rib on the top end of the ring, a net frame having a netting insert-molded to the inner surface of an annular frame body, the netting covering the opening of the container body and engaging the convex rib, the annular frame body engaging to the container body, wherein the netting is pushed upward by the convex rib to a position higher than the top surface of the net frame when the net frame is fitted to the container body; and when the container body is contained in a recess of an outer container having the recess of a prescribed depth and a projection on the bottom panel, the corrugated bottom panel of the container body faces the projection, and when a lid bearing a packing facing the convex rib of the container body is closed, the convex rib of the container body presses against the packing through the netting of the net frame, and the lid is openably and closably attached to the outer container.
In respect of the foregoing netted refillable container (hereinafter simply referred to as xe2x80x9crefillable containerxe2x80x9d), by molding in to a united body the surrounding of the flexible opening of the container body into a ring formed from a rigid synthetic resin, in which the ring bears a convex shaped rib on the top end, and by engaging a net frame to the container body in a state where a netting of the net frame covers the opening and engages to the rib, a tension works upon the netting in correspondence to the height of the rib, and enables the netting to stretch along the inner surface of the frame body in a sufficiently high-strung manner. Therefore, even if there is to be a looseness created when the net frame is molded, the looseness can be eliminated.
When the net frame is engaged to the container body, the rib causes the netting to project upwards from the opening of the container body. Therefore, when the container body is contained in the outer container, the netting projects to a position closest to the lid, and when the lid is closed, the packing attached to the inner surface of the lid contacts to the facing rib and also to the netting wherein the vertical position of the netting is maintained by the rib; in consequence, a hermetically sealed state is created without having any space between the packing and the netting. Therefore, the spillage of powdery cosmetic material (partially pasty cosmetic material included, hereinafter referring to the same) can be prevented.
When the lid is opened and a cosmetic tool, e.g., powder puff, sponge is rubbed against the netting, a downward force, that is, a pressing force toward the direction of the bottom panel of the outer container works upon the container body. Due to this pressing force, the bottom panel of the container body makes contact to the convex portion provided at the bottom panel of the container body to deform the container body. According to this deformation the powdery cosmetic material becomes fluidized. In other words, whenever in use, the powdery cosmetic material contained in the container body becomes fluidized and does not solidify.